Yesterday morning, I got to explore all types of beauty while driving to work.

Some days, I spend my drives to work marveling about things or having deep, philosophical conversations with my gods. On other days, I just ignore everything while I focus a little too much on the fact that I am driving. Yesterday, I chose to focus on the fact that Hetheru is in my life and more often than not, I don’t know why. I know the original reason, but she has stuck around through all of my sobbing, whining, and refusing to do what she wanted of me (and doing it anyway under the mantle of her sister-self, Sekhmet). But she is the complete antithesis to who I am, honestly. She collects things and they’re not like two or three bookcases of books or sets of divination cards out the wazoo. She collects things like

In the Hall of Wesir, we are asked to defend ourselves before a tribunal of gods and even our own hearts in order to prove that we have lived within the confines of Ma’at. There are many lists of the 42 Virtues and Negative confessions. The declarations center around similar themes, but each list can be unique unto itself. Not all lists are mutually exclusive.

Even still, they give us a good idea about what the perfect man or woman could do to uphold Ma’at. No one is perfect, but we should have some set of values and codes of conduct which we strive to manifest. Many of these lists give the same virtue more than once in the same list, emphasizing its importance. Some virtues are present across many lists.

It is to one of the virtues that I turn my attention, particularly because it can be harder to uphold the further we get in life.

Gardens. Nature artificially arranged so that man might rest in safety in a rejuvenating place while regaining grace. I feel the Netjeru in our city garden, in a place so contrived. Its controlled nature; a city green spot. Did we not Name the Gods? Call to them? Recognize them? As we see and name the beauty in the world, and seek to cultivate and understand it? More

The current KRT topic is Heka. I will admit, I’ve really let these posts slip through the cracks, and this doesn’t really fall under the scope of the KRT…but despite my lack of punctuality and ability to follow basic directions, I hope to this KRT inspired post can help someone out!

Heka proceeds the gods, as we are told in the Coffin Texts: “…to me belonged the universe before you Gods had come into being. You have come afterwards because I am Heka.” Heka is the force which creates all things in the universe and allows them to continue to be. It is the link tying the spiritual and physical together, the means through which the spiritual becomes physical. That being said, it is helpful to reference the creation myth where words were the vehicle of creation (Ptah’s words, specifically). Heka is often thought of as “right speech”. It is one who knows the right words and has knowledge of their pronunciation who can change the world. Hieroglyphics could be used as a form of heka as well, the written word itself holding power and allowing things to become. However, heka also alludes to knowledge of truth in general, which allows one to manipulate reality.

Many times, heka also alluded to a myth from the Zep Tepi (First Time). It sought to harken back to this time (although, according to Naydler, there was no “going back”, the Zep Tepi was recreated on a daily basis and accessible at any moment under the right circumstances). It was as if one stepped into the Zep Tepi and recreated a myth in order to create change in the present. (At least, this is my understanding. I could be wrong, if I am, please correct me!!!)

Heka was used in medicine, along side observations and traditional remedies. Amulets and jewelry were used in heka, some of the popular symbols being the Eye of Heru and scarabs. The seat of one’s power was said to be the belly, and it was not uncommon to see spells where one eats gods or other critters to gain their power.

As I thought about all of this, I was not particularly inspired to do a post. Until I sat down for my daily devotion. Somewhere I had read that heka was the concept and manifestation of the divine power of creation. That night, I focused on Aset as a magician: the Great of Heka, Excellent of Speech. And then…it hit me.

For a long time, I had a hard time making the connecting to Aset as a goddess of life (it seemed “wrong” or off despite the Osirian myth cycle. I know, I’m nuts). I accepted Her as a goddess of magic and knowledge, though the magical aspect never intrigued me much (I don’t do too much magic). But in reflecting and researching for this post, I reflected on heka as the thread pulling creation from the spiritual realm into the physical…and it is Aset who commands heka! It is Aset with Her knowledge, skill, and eloquence who manipulates reality to restore life and maintain the cycles of succession and renewal (both in the Osirian myth and the myth where She learns the name of Ra). It is because of heka that Aset is the Lady of Green Crops and the Lady of Life. More so, Aset was, at some points, taught some aspects or forms of heka (by Djehuti or by gaining it from the knowledge of Ra’s true name). This implies that it is something that can be learned (hence, you and I can master it, as much as humans can).

And while words are not the only vehicles of heka, they certainly are strong ones. Aset knows the Words of Power. But there is something more mundane in this phrasing. Let’s talk about talk…self talk.

Words bring things into being. Naming something gives it power and makes it spring to life. The are the means through which something comes into existence.

For me, Aset is a Name of confidence, power, determination, will, and victory.

Self talk is how we talk to ourselves, in our heads, everyday.

What am I getting at? How we talk to ourselves literally allows us to manifest our reality.

Ugh, that was so stupid! I always embarass myself! I’m so awkward…why do I try?

Of course I forgot the presentation at home…things never work out anyway. Oh well.

These tryouts are only for the best of the best. I shouldn’t even bother.

When we tear ourselves down, we engage in self destructive heka. But, if we are observant, realistic, and more optimistic, our daily heka can build us up and enliven us. It can give us power and confidence and realism. Aset has helped me to watch my own self talk, to watch how I treat myself, and realize that the eloquence in my head is just as important as the eloquence in my rites, in my work, and with my friends. Of course, speech has the power to hinder or heal in these areas too, just as in magic. But self talk sets the stage for how we wag our tongues in all of these areas long before we open our mouths.

I know it sounds really new age. Honestly, I learned about negative self-talk in my Abnormal Psych class. And you know what the first thing I thought was? How ridiculous. As if how you talk to yourself in anyway influences your mood. And I proved my own point.

The High Priestess has always befuddled me. A large part has to do with the fact that I came to Tarot as I was still learning to find and listen to my inner voice. If it wasn’t there in black and white, I likely didn’t see it. I didn’t trust myself. I didn’t trust others. Trust was vulnerability and uncertainty. I was in the very throes of the High Priestess’s territory with no map and no prior visits, so it is little wonder that I had no idea what she meant.

Though this self knowledge, this intuition, and the accompanying trust are only two tendrils on the vine of this card, they were so relevant and discombobulating to me that they muted any other possible communications from this card.More